The present invention relates to the packaging of smoking articles such as cigarettes into cartons, and in particular to the packing of packages of cigarettes into cartons such that the individual packages can be readily tax stamped.
It is common practice to ship and store cigarette packages in cartons. Conventional cigarette cartons ordinarily hold ten packages, each package containing about 20 cigarettes. The packages are usually arranged in two relatively superposed rows of 5 packages each. Such standard cartons completely encase the cigarette packages and are provided with glued flaps. An example of a carton for ten packages of cigarettes is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,752,308 to Begemann.
Individual jurisdictions require the application of a tax stamp to each package of cigarettes sold in the respective jurisdiction. Typically, the distributor or jobber in the jurisdiction receives the cartons from the manufacturer, unseals the flap of carton which is sealed with a fugitive adhesive, applies the tax stamp to each package of cigarettes, and then recloses and reseals the carton. In order to minimize the time, labor and expense associated with tax stamping of the packages within the carton, various automated tax marking or stamping machines have been developed. Such tax marking machines automatically print or otherwise affix tax stamps to packages within the carton. Tax stamping machines which are most commonly employed by distributors and jobbers include ADCO Automatic Heat Transfer Decalomanic Stamping Machine which is available from American Decal & Mfg. Co., Chicago, Ill.; Cigarette Tax Stamp Applying Machine which is available from Meyercord, Carol Stream, Ill.; and Cigarette Tax Stamping Machine which is available from Pitney Bowes, Stamford, Conn. Accordingly, the dimensions and construction of the standard cigarette carton have been established by the tax stamping machinery customarily employed by the distributors, wholesalers and jobbers who tax mark the cigarette packages prior to retail sale.
A manufacturer desiring to provide cigarettes in non-standard size or shape cartons is forced to pay to have the individual packages hand tax stamped. However, a manual method for providing non-standard size or shape cartons of packaged cigarettes is time consuming, laborious and expensive. As disclosed in Modern Packaging (1947), half carton packs are provided using a three sided paperboard collar and cellophane wrap such that the bottom of the cigarette packages are exposed for tax stamping. Another method for packaging cigarette packages into cartons which are divisible into smaller units is proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,631,900 to Mattei et al.
Occasionally, manufacturers desire to market cartons containing five packages of cigarettes. However, such cartons have not achieved any appreciable commercial success. In particular, five package cartons having a configuration comparable to standard cigarette cartons have had a top flap configuration. The top flap has required that the packages of such cartons be tax stamped by hand or that the tax stamped packages be manually loaded in the carton.
It would be desirable to provide a manner or method for efficiently and effectively packaging cigarettes in divisible cartons (eg., half cartons) which in turn are contained within standard cartons. In particular, it would be desirable for the manufacturer to efficiently and effectively provide cigarette packages contained in half cartons which in turn are contained within standard cartons for tax stamping using conventional automatic or semi-automatic tax stamping machinery.